Mythos Ark
by Shadlos
Summary: Official canon backstory to Pyria: Mythos Evolved mod. Two of Ark's most well-known survivors find themselves waking up somehow on a new, expansive station: Pyria. This proves to be the most dangerous one yet: once-thought mythos creatures roam the lands abundant; and magical energy radiates over the lands, permanently changing the Ark's ecosystem. Will they survive?
1. Prolog

" _...wake up..."_

 _ **"...wake up..."**_

 _ **"...WAKE UP!"**_

The sudden exclamation thrusts me out of unconsciousness. Almost immediately, light floods my eyes. Wait...what?! No! It cant be! I feel it once more: grass on my bare back. How?! I panic onto my knees...no, no no no! My body is bare, save for the damned usual primitive underclothing. My arm-?! Sure enough, the damn implant: still there! It still has all of the former edits made to it from me passing from all the damn stations, but...NO! We got to the planet, we dealt with the-

" _ **HNAAAAGGHH!"**_

A massive pain rips through my head the second I try to think of Earth, and what happened down there. I can only remember arriving in that apocalyptic planet. I try to think further, and this massive pain just amplifies more: as if trying to think of what happened is going to rip my head right open. How though?! We were done on earth! We...

 _ **"HNAAAGGHGHH!"**_

 _ **"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"**_

I curse loudly slamming my fists into the dirt with full force in my hellish anger, swearing with each punch. I've probably punched the ground at least 30 times before I finally give out, my knuckles red, and fall forwards onto the ground. My futile attempts to take out my anger on these damn stations worthless. Why? What's the point of all of this anymore?...

 _ **"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_

Wait. That voice? That...that's-!

I scramble to my bare feet and look off the direction of the primal scream of rage I've heard, coming from the coastal forest. I rush in quickly in the general direction of the roar, shoving my way past and foliage to find my way to the voice's owner.

 **THWACK**

A palm tree right beside me is hit with a powerful force and snaps like a twig, falling my way. It falls right behind me and I freeze in place...I can see her standing on her own feet, still in position after felling that tree effortlessly. I look towards her face...past that scar, I see a look in her eyes that terrifies me moreso than her usual scowl: a soulless, wide-eyed look of rage by a woman possessed. She's staring right at me, directly through my eyes and into me. I slowly take a step back and raise my hands slowly. My lips try to utter her name...

then it happens.

I never wanted to feel it, but I get it. I can't even react fast enough before her fist flies straight into my face and I hear a sickening crunch. It's worse than a damn car accident, as her fist slams right into my face it sends me flying backwards with such force I end up hitting another palm tree. I hear another snap as my back hits the tree. It's not my back that breaks, but rather, the trunk of the tree, as it splits and falls back. I slump to the ground stunned of what the hell just happened. In front of me, she thrashes around like a madwoman, breaking every tree near her and beating at the ground with primal screams. I slowly reach my hand up to my nose...I can feel blood coming down my chin as I raise my hand up past it...and I softly grab my nose. I can't even feel my grip from so much pain emanating from the front of my face. But I know my nose is both bleeding AND broken. I cough once, and that gets her attention again for a fraction of a second. She's on all fours beating at the dirt when she looks at me again. I slowly look her in the eyes and finally utter her name, reaching out with my hand, which was once on my face.

"M...Mei..."

Her gaze changes and she finally reacts to me. She suddenly scrambles over to me with urgency and gets right up to me, and softly touches my face.

"H...Helena I...I..."

"I thought I was angry about it..." I say sarcastically. "Jesus fuck, I should have remembered how you'd be."

"You...are more of one who screams violent obscenities in the air...I am who I am, the primal Beast Queen...I...I'm sorry, so sorry..."

"N...nah, woman. You're...fine...I never liked how big my nose was anyway."

"..."

"Right...you don't know what a nose job is. My bad."

"...nose...job?"

"People use medical practices to..." I shift more upright against the tree "...change the shape of their nose. At least, they did in my time."

"..."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry."

"No. I am the one asking for forgiveness. You are all I have left, I...I shouldn't have-"

"You're like your own Giga. You know. Your Demon King? Raging about one moment, then loyal as all the next. I...I've gotten used to it."

"I...I thank you for your friendship Helena. But I have to warn you..."

"warn me? Of what?"

"This."

She holds my nose and then suddenly snaps it back into place I wince at the pain, but cant help but spit out another f-bomb as she does so.

"Right. You would." I say. "I don't blame you though. So...yeah."

"Well...we can make some use of my wild fit, though." Mei says, looking over her shoulder at the many broken trees ...and...even...a few small rocks...she's broken in her fury. I look at her hands...her knuckles are pouring blood. "You...don't feel that?" I ask, holding her hands.

"Not unless I choose to."

"...whatever you're made of, you were made of it good." I say reaching to the side at some plant fibers. "Now I think we both know what to do. We've done this several times before..."

Mei reaches behind herself and grabs a few usable pieces of splintered wood.

"Part of me even wonders why we should. We've made so much noise predators are likely already inbound. What point is there to continue existing...if we cannot seem to escape this madhouse?"

"What point is there in dying? Sometimes people get brought back." I rebuttal. "Besides. You think Diana would want us to just give up and suicide?"

"Fair enough, Helena." she tells me.

Yet again on this rigmarole. Hell, this place looks decent to say the least. It's not the desert, and it's not that malfunctioning ark. Seems similar to the Island as far as I can say. It takes Mei and I roughly 15 minutes to get outfits on, made from cloth. I finish wrapping my left foot up in cloth, in the same manner I have cloth wrapped around my arms. "I don't think I've frankly ever gotten on my own two feet so fast. I guess I have you to thank for that" I tell Mei. She nods, adjusting the wrappings around her arms

"There is little time to waste, Helena. Happy to help."

"You'd be ashamed of me when I showed up in the desert, lemme tell ya. My hunting skills were horrid. I almost died of dehydration it felt."

"A land nearly devoid of water, I recall. Bugs that carried water inside their bodies provided you sustenance for a time, correct?"

"Bit ingenious, to be frank. Almost felt like whoever built these stations gives a shit about our well-being."

"I'd like to give whoever built these vile places a word or two."

"Knowing you I'd join you on that. Assuming you're also having the memory blockage?"

Mei tosses up a stone hatchet, grabs it by the handle, and slides it into her belt around her waist. "Yes, I have. The harder I thought, the more it felt like my head was tearing itself apart. My own body wishes to harm me? I may threaten to kill the sun, but I've grown rather attached to my flesh and bones. Despite being the Beast Queen."

"I can say the same for myself. Can I have a spear or two?"

"Take three." she says handling me a bundle. I carefully put two of them onto my back and hold the third in my hand.

"Well...this feels less like starter prep and heading into battle."

"Survival is a constant battle, Helena. Learn it quickly."

"Ya think I'd know that by now, eh?"

"You continue to surprise me."

"Oh come off it!"

"Off what?"

"...right. Anywho, what now? Any ideas where we go?"

"Inland." she says pointing deeper into the jungle.

"...right. Logic tells me that's where all the big carnivores and stuff are. You know. Past Experience."

"You're with me, Helena. No beast is a match for me."

"...duly remembered. Shall we?...you first. I'm not the best fighter."

"Not without a rifle you can panic to."

"Hey! Having a good trigger finger is a compliment in my time!"

Mei shrugs. "Every coward is good at something..." she teases, leading the way.

"Hey, at least im not half bad of a shot." I say. "Im a scientist, not a fighter."

"I've said it once, I'll say it again. Learn to be one."

Mei and I trek for what feels like quite a bit of time, and...well, nothing happens. The jungle is unusually quiet. I'm keeping my ears out for the usual, but even then...

"Hey, Mei?" I ask.

"What?" she replies

"I know you so you've probably noticed it to. Compared to the first island...something's very off, isn't it?"

"...very."

"I mean, normally you'd hear pterosaurs in the skies, Sauropods in the distance or something, but...I'm hearing nothing. Just these birds. I mean, I'm thankful for birds regardless, but still."

"This is prime...Raptor, as you call them, habitat as well, and yet...I've seen no evidence of them at all. Even vaguely old ones. Things are, compared to the first ark...strange. I hear none of the usual sounds at all."

"True. It's got me a bit worried...hey!"

"What?" she says stopping

"Track on the ground, bout ten feet up in the earth."

Mei looks forwards, and hurries over to it quietly. Im right behind her as she kneels next to it. She eyes over it a few times. "...fresh." she says, running her fingers carefully over it.

"Wait..." I say. "can you lay your hand next to it?"

"As you wish."

She does so, and then I look at the track myself. "This...is unsettling."

"And you say this why?"

"It reminds me, vaguely...of a lizard track."

"Lizard?"

"A lizard with a foot the size of your hand." I say. "Those claw tracks dont look too nice either."  
"Quite the large lizard...what's this then..." Mei says moving forwards abit. There's another track on the ground, and it's longer than the earlier one. I look over it a few moments, before I look around...there's a whole trackway of these two footprints together. "...back foot of the same creature." I say "Similar design to the front foot, just...longer. Toes are more splayed out. Definitely the same critter."

"I haven't seen tracks similar." She tells me. "But they go this way...stay behind me."

"You honestly want to go after it?"

"I need something other than you to help survive."

"...Ow." I say. "That hurts."

"I didn't mean it like that. I value your friendship deeply Helena. Yet you can't tear down stone or provide transporation. You can't fly either."

"...true enough."

We follow the tracks silently before coming to a small stream that runs through the jungle. I let Mei go ahead first. She carefully heads into the slight clearing, silent as any other predatory creature. After looking around, she carefully crouches down, stirs the water a bit, then looks over at me, and nods her head. I slowly make her way next to her. She looks around first. "You drink first" she tells me "Always have somebody watching your back". I nod, then eagerly drink from the stream as she watches the surroundings. After I take a few handfuls, I stand and take watch over Mei. As she drinks, something manages to sneak up to the same side of the river we're on, near us. It's only when it starts drinking that we become aware of it. It's an awkward, but familiar noise..I look to my right. Lo and behold, it's a Tapejara around 20 feet away from us. Just at about the same moment we notice it, it notice us. It suddenly does a quick leap backwards, making a sort of honking call as it flares it's wings in a startled mess, before jumping into the air and taking off as fast as it can.

"Looks like we scared him off from drinking, poor thing." I say "Oh well. I guess Tapejara is a good sign of anything. Pterosaurs are still here at least."

"...what are...Ptero...saurs?" Mei asks "They are not dragons, as you...have enlightened me."

"They...well...uh...they're as close to dragons as you could get without being them, I guess." I say "I still couldn't fully understand those Wyverns Raia had in my time with her. She wouldn't let me get close without her permission...but I dont think I can count them as real creatures, because they're created, you know?"

"And the...Rock Drake?"

"as far as I can tell it's just a big lizard that can glide. Again, really close to a dragon, but...again, genetic engineering. You know, people made it."

"...I really feel like an ignorant savage sometimes." Mei says distraught, standing. "To feel so primitive...really fits a woman called the Beast Queen, doesn't it? That I'm so stupidly ignorant?"

"Hey hey hey, no!" I say. "You were raised in a time where belief in those things was normal. Everything has an origin in _something_. We think the whole 'dragons' thing came around with people like yours finding dinosaur or other prehistoric creatures' bones and imagining them to be dragons. I mean, there are these bones back in my time on exhibition in a country- they're historical, so yeah- and ancients believed them to be that of a dragon. Scientists though proved 'em to actually be bones from about 6 or so different creatures, in actuality."

"...now I truly feel ignorant."

"no! That's literally the same thing scientists do who study remains in my time. Look at what you have, picture it alive with what you have. It's the exact same thing, Mei. You're not Ignorant. You're learning. Let nobody call you an ignorant savage. To be frank, with all we've been through, I quite enjoy your company."

"...and I you." she says with a faint smirk. "thank you, Helena."

"Bah, it's nothin' Mei. I'd probably be dead without you in all honesty."

"And I am thankful I decided to assist you during those times. I regret none of it...mostly."

"ow. I know, I bore you with my science. Should we move on, before...ya know, teeth and claws?"

"As we shall. Stay behind me."

We continue on through the forest for what feels like another hour. That Tapejara seems as if it was the only critter around for miles. We can occasionally hear small life such as birds or crickets...but other than that there's nothing. This feels strange for an ark. Where are the raptors, dilos, or even some herbivorous jungle dwellers? I'm seeing nothing here. Can't say I can complain though. However, it still just doesn't feel right. We continue on into another clearing of sorts. My eyes spot something that interests me.

"Hey, Mei?" I say nudging her

"Yes?"

"You hungry? Look. Banana trees."

Sure enough, there's a few smaller banana trees growing out of the ground cover, most dont get taller than 10 feet or so in the small grove. Mei nods "We might as well forage and eat. We should take a few for the journey."

"Most of them don't look too ripe either. I hate em when they're so ripe. These look great..." I say beginning to walk into the grove a bit. Mei walks right up to one tree and hits it with her axe, the tree drops a single banana to reward her violence. She nonchalantly plucks it off the ground, then takes a moment to peel it and eat it, leaning on the tree. I find a good tree near some bushes, the tree itself seems only 8 feet tall or so- the bananas are within reach. I pluck a single one from a cluster and start to peel it, taking a bite. Feels like forever since I've had good. Probably has been. Just then though I hear a strange chortle or groan...sounds almost like a chuckle. It's near me too...from the other side of the bush? With a hand on the tree's trunk, I carefully look around the bush...and there's a pile of bananas on the ground, a few torn peels too...a whole pile of half-eaten bananas...and there's stomething still eating from it. This creature confuses me the instant I see it. It's about as big as the station's Kaprosuchus, standing on all fours...and it looks like a giant Jackson's Chamleon. It's hide is a deep green, with some sort of horns on it's head and a low ridge sail down the length of it's body, the back legs seem slightly longer than the front pair. It's looking down at the bananas, eating them messily, I can't get a good view of it's face from the shadows being cast onto it as it looks down, but it seems to use it's front arms to help move food closer to the rest of the pile of bananas...is it an herbivore? Maybe despite the looks it's similar to a giant iguana, most of those are herbivorous. I take my hand off the tree trunk and lean forwards a bit...my foot snapping a twig. Instantly the creature looks up at me and...I'm greeted with one of the most...incredible faces I've seen. It's got a wide mouth with a nasty underbite, and jagged sharp teeth. It's eyes, as I expected of it, are huge, and looking directly at me. The whole creature both looks like it's seen some major shit, as well as...being incredibly furious at me for no reason at all. It makes an angered growl at me and takes a few slow steps forwards, I slowly take a step back and start reaching for my spear on my back.

"M...Mei..." I say low as I step back, and then slowly put my hand on tree trunk again. Suddenly, it makes an angered growl again, and rears up on its back legs. It takes a step forwards, grabs the tree trunk, and pulls it down in an instant to the ground, I fumble backwards as it growls at me louder this time, mouth open as I fumble for my spear. It makes some sort of hooting roar and starts to charge when suddenly Mei comes out of nowhere from my blindspot like a bat right out of hell. Her spear embeds right into the creature's eye, and it reels in pain, standing firm on four legs and arching it's back defensively. Mei isn't intimidated and continues to thrash her spear into the creature's skull, which is doing hell on the lizard's giant eye. It screams in pain while thrashing against her and squealing, it even tries to reach up and snap the spear a few times using it's forearms. I fall back onto my arse as it continues to struggle with Mei before it starts to quickly rear onto its back legs again. Mei however takes the opportunity and immediately shoves down with all her might and plunges her spear deeper into the creature's skull, killing it and slamming its corpse back onto the ground on its side. "Jesus Christ!" I say scooting back a bit and onto my feet as Mei rips her spear from the creature's skull-the eye now firmly attached. "You really...wow. Good going. Told him to sit his ass down for sure."

Mei nonchalantly rips the eye off of her spear and tosses it to the side. "I had a feeling something so simple would be of no match for you until I saw you losing your posture, Helena."

"Yeah, well, sorry. I'm used to running from things. Not fighting them."

"Throughout all we've been through, you'd still rather run than fight?"

"Not what I mean. I want off these damns stations as much as you do."

"If we can leave at all." she wipes her spear in the dirt a few times. I go over to the corpse of the reptile and crouch next to it. I look over it a bit. "Well...he's a new face." I say, before carefully putting my hand under the dead reptile's head and lifting it up a bit so I can see the skull shape better. "Definitely feels like he's a special denizen of this station only, if you know what I mean".

"I can comprehend, I believe..." she says, finishing her repairs on her spear before looking over at me. "I can assume you need a moment with it to do...you?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, I gotcha, resources and all, hide and meat...but yeah lemme get a look for a bit. I'm a biologist after all."

"Perhaps you can tell if the creature is safe to consume or not?"

"uhhh...i've eaten a lot of things on the arks, from phiomia and dodo to even plesiosaur and tyrannosaur...all of it is _technically_ edible, so I'd assume a giant chameleon would be ok...if this thing is?...yeah I think it's definitely a member of Chamaeleonidae...herbivorous tendencies aren't impossible either since Chameleons fall under suborder Iguania...!"

Its just then I can get a good look at the creature's head, and the sharp teeth therein. I carefully look at the teeth a bit, and note that they're far more sharp than what would belong to just an herbivore.

"Ok...i stand correct. Not herbivore. Omnivore."

"A consumer of both plants and meat?..." Mei says kneeling next to me.

"Yeah, these teeth vaguely remind me of bears. Especially the sharp teeth in the front. I don't see any molars though, but some of these teeth do look like the chisel-like teeth of some herbivores. Especially these in the back here...yeah. Wonder if this guy swallows stones to help him digest his food...actually, you can help me out with that."

I look over at the creature's abdomen. "Think you can cut a good hole with what we've got...here, this big?" I say, gesturing to it's underside and then dragging my finger across the creature's smooth hide to show how big I want it. Mei nods, stepping around me. "It is no problem, though do not expect this to be clean."

"River's not too far off. We can wash up afterwards. Get dirty."

"As I shall..." She rebuttals, pulling out a pick and a hatchet. She swings the pick in deep into the body, causing a deep hole and blood to come out, before sticking her hatchet in the same spot and starting to saw her way through in a mess. I've seen and done similar so much, sometimes I feel viscera doesn't sicken me anymore...at least, animal viscera. No soon does she gut the creature, she reaches up inside the cavity of the creature's body and starts to feel around. "...i believe this is it." she says after a moment, before reaching both hands in. I hear a fleshy tear among other noises, as she slowly tears out a large, pink organ. She rips it right open with her hatchet as I begin to feel around. "...There's the bananas he was eating...and this..." I rummage around, before jerking my hand back.

"Ok, yeah. That's a dead bird. Roughly the size of a pheasant. Did it swallow the damn thing whole?!"

"Looks like it."

"Yeah. That could have all kinds of nasty. Not touching that without gloves."

"Fair enough."

Mei grabs the stomach of the creature and closes it roughly, then tosses it into the brush before she starts to skin the creature and grab usable chunks of meat. While she works I start to look at other parts of the creature. The skull, the hands, the feet. This was definitely the creature that made the footprints from earlier, no doubt. Without a journal, I take mental images of this creature. I'm bound to find them again later. As Mei finishes, we tread onward for a bit, until we finally arrive at a clearing. This opens up to an extensive, breathtaking grassland along a huge hillside, I see towering mountains in the far distance, and several raised mesa and plateau.

"Jesus, is it just me or does this station seem huge as hell?" I say looking at this. Mei tilts her head.

"Definately larger than the first island for sure. Much larger. It feels as if this ark...it is wild, untrained. Vast beyond comprehension."

As my eyes scan the grassland from our tree cover, I see a familiar sight. A medium-sized herd of Stegosaurus, around 4 or so individuals, grazing around 300 feet away. I sigh.

"Well, that's another familiar sight. Stegosaurus are here. Wonder if anybody else is."

"Hmm..." helena ponders. "i might be able to get us one of them...it would be slow, indeed, but we would have a protector and a way to carry resources easier."

I raise my hands.

"Ey, that's just like you. You be you, we need it."

Mei ponders a moment before looking at the stegosaurus, as if analyzing which is the best option. She takes a step forwards, before suddenly stopping, then taking a quick hop back into the underbrush a bit deeper into the forest. I follow her hastily, then turn around back towards the stegosaurs.

"Jesus what's all that about."

"Shh!" she says, then nods upwards. I look up, but I don't see anything...though I start to hear something...whistling? Suddenly, what looks like a flurry of arrows drops down out of the sky from nowhere into the herd. Several of them are hit as the flurry rains down from above. As they lodge into the hides of the stegosaurus, blood viciously flies from their bodies. They aren't arrows: they look like giant spines or thorns, each around a foot long and 2-3 inches wide. My gaze is quickly up towards the sky. High up, there's a large figure circling. It looks like a giant bird...no, it has a tail.

Another wyvern!?

No sooner do I notice it that it suddenly pulls a sharp dive, diving down through the air like a hawk towards the ground at a sharp angle, picking up incredible speed. Suddenly it levels out just above the ground. I can make out it's shape vaguely as I see sharp talons extend. It flies by a singular stegosaurus, claws flayed. But it doesn't grab the stegosaurus. Rather, it slices clean by, tearing huge gashes into one, blood spraying out in huge volumes. The stegosaurus immediately falls to its side, but the wyvern keeps on going, before landing on...it's back legs?! The other stegosaurus stand their ground as this new creature turns to face them. It's a...something i've never seen. Beyond a doubt, it's another wyvern, but this thing is unlike those in the desert. It stands on it's back legs, the tail outstretched behind it...wings folded. The wings are draconic in nature, but the entire creature is covered in a reddish-brown coating of feathers, save for the creature's legs and scaled underside. The feet look similar to that of a wyvern, but resemble more the sharp talons of an eagle. The creature's neck is...bald, a collar similar to those on condors around it's neck. Yet its head is still feathered in part, and it's skull is vicious. Rather than a standard head with teeth, the entire creature's head is like that of a bird and wyvern mixed: a vicious beak with sharp jaw extensions acting as false teeth. It's as if this creature is a hybrid of an eagle, condor, and wyvern. It growls and walks forwards a few steps similar to an argentavis, but the stegosaurus don't back down. It responds by suddenly roaring, then charging on all fours in a rapid movement towards the closest living one. It suddenly lifts up a wing, claws ready, and slashes down the stegosaurus in an vicious blow. The others, less wounded than their deceased companions, begin to rapidly retreat. The wyvern stands ready on all fours as it watches them retreat, before quickly raising it's wings off the ground and returning to its birdlike stance. It turns to the nearest stegosaur, walks over, then firmly plants one of its talons on it, slashes it a few times, then rests it upon the corpse, before bending down and sinking it's jaws into the corpse. The talons on this thing, its claws, its jaws- everything on this creature looks like the sharpest things in nature I've ever seen. The jaws cleave right through the corpse, effortlessly, tearing off viable chunks of meat. With each bite, the jaws clack together menacingly. As it moves, I can see its feathers shift...and between them, especially around the neck area...i can see them. The same spines that embedded into the stegosaurs...growing from the creature. It must be capable of firing bursts of them at enemies. This entire creature looks like its hole purpose is to make whatever it fights bleed out in seconds. I shake my head.

"Ok. THAT I don't remember seeing." I say low. "He's new. Very new."

"...i am quite...unprepared to take on such a creature as of yet. I suggest we vacate immediately."

"Agreed. As intrigued as I am about it, I'd rather not be on the receiving end of ANYTHING sharp on that thing."

Keeping a close eye on the imposing wyvern, we retreat back deeper into the forest, but continue to head up the hill. Nothing eventful really happens for what feels like hours...and from what I can tell by the artificial sun, it truly is a few hours later when we finally reach what feels to be a valley area within the deep mountains, and I can see some rock cliffs here and there of a...dull, light red color. Mei and I are resting at another small pond by now. I sigh, drawing out the wyvern's head in the dirt with a piece of flint.

"I'd like to know how that thing came into being." I say out loud, looking at my drawing. Mei takes her gaze off of the sky and looks towards me.

"Did you not say that they were fictional? Isn't it an...artificial creation?"

"Umm...Yes, true. However...something just felt off about out wyvern friend. He...didn't seem hybridized in any way other than basic appearance. But even then that looked...natural..."

"Are you telling me, Helena...that was a real dragon? A real wyvern, with features of a bird of prey?"

"I...can't say for sure. All I can say is it looked hella natural. Maybe this station is trying to, or focusing on, fantastical creatures. Our lizard friend comes to mind now too...i mean yes, big omnivorous chameleon thing, but still..."

"indeed...?"

"What?" I ask, looking at her...before my eyes see the pond...the water is rippling slightly, ever so slightly...

...footsteps.

Something large is approaching. We quickly scramble onto our feet, and grab our gear. The path ahead is barren, with no real escape path ahead. We'd literally just need to run. That's not good if whatever is coming is a pursuit predator, or large enough to catch up. We have to head back. There's forest cover closer. We dash towards the forest...when a figure appears from it. I see four legs, a long neck. Is it a sauropod? At the top of the head, my answer. There's a vicious mammal like head with hears, the jaws lined with sharp teeth. The head is scaled, and there's armor plating going down the back of its neck onto the body. What kind of mammal is that!? It's roughly as large as the station's Carnotaurus pressor, but then I notice its not alone. There's a second head staring right at us, both of the faces I see show signs of aggression, teeth bared right at us and low snarls coming from them as their bodies are slightly covered by the foliage still. I take a step back.

"ok, there's two of them. Two of us. Can we take them? And I don't mean we as in you, I mean we as in we. I'm not gonna-"

"There's only one."

"... _what_?..."

I look back at the creatures...their two heads...

...are attached to the same body.

A bicephalic creature, right in front of me. First a lizard, then a raptor wyvern, and now this thing?! Maybe I was right. Is this station trying to bring fantasy to life?! I take a step back.

"OK. I think...we can take it, right?"

"One creature, two heads, two of us. I doubt it could focus on both of us at once."

"Then we sha-"

"...what now?"

"...three."

"Three heads?! Were's the third?!"

"...three bodies."

I turn slowly towards the creature again...it's not alone. There's two other individuals next to it. I quickly put my spear up and start slowly walking back.

"Run?"

"...for once...you're right."

No sooner does she say that I'm already charging ahead as fast as my legs can carry me, Mei not far behind me. I hear a roar of sorts followed by others before the three predators are hot on our asses. Brings back memories of the island, still prefer this shit to going on the surface on that ruined ark! They don't seem that fast though, from what I can tell behind me. I've ran from things so much I know looking back is a bad idea. I keep my eyes forwards so I don't trip. Is it ashamed to be an expert at fleeing?...forget it.

"We're outrunning them!" Mei tells me "Keep going!"

"Don't have to tell me, I can hear them!"

We're picking up speed from our pursuers before we finally round a corner of a cliff. My eyes spot foliage on my left and right just up ahead. And on the right, a large, sturdy tree.

"Squirrel time!" I say rapidly without even thinking, adrenaline giving me a huge boost of speed that I use to run right up to the tree's roots and launch myself into the lower branches, hauling myself up as fast as I can. Mei's right with me as I do that and we clamber up high into the tree, around 60 feet up. Sure enough the trio comes storming into the clearing, then looks around trying to pick us up. Each of their two heads moves around separately, as if their own separate entities. One of the creature's left head looks left and the other right. The right head looks around on the right side, and then the left head does the same...before the right head tries to look left. Both heads collide with an audible smack and they both seem to give a quick gripe of pain before growling and snapping at each other. Holy shit, are they actually their own separate entities? Their bickering gets the attention of the other two, before all three creatures get into a bit of a yelling and snapping spat. Two of the creatures soon quickly leave before the one that started the argument sits there for a bit, watching them go. The right head seems to use the right leg to scratch it's neck a bit and gives a strange chortle as if to say

"well...that happened."

and then seems to quickly make peace with its other head. The two look around for a bit more and we remain silent in the trees. The thing sticks around for a good fifteen minutes or so...before the left head looks up and finally sees us. As soon as it does, the right head looks up as well, and the entire creature charges the tree and rears up onto it, trying to get to us. Luckily we're still too high up for it. It snaps and roars at us before another sound gets its attention. Something from the forest behind it. It gets down off of the tree and slowly turns around to face whatever it is. We look towards the forest...out from it...

...no mistaking it. A goddamn dragon.

Similar in size to the two-headed creature, it also walks on four legs, and has a fearsome head atop a long neck. It's tail is long and whiplike, ending in a scythe-like thagomizer, tilted upwards. The creature is predominantly green in color, with golden, almost copper-like scales on it's underside and wing membranes being the same color. The two headed creature roars at the dragon, which returns the roar with somewhat of a jeering look. The two-headed creature slowly strafes towards its left, and the dragon does similarly. The two size each other up for a few seconds, before the two-headed creature charges, jaws open. The dragon suddenly leaps backwards, into the air, before whirling around to the creature's left flank. It opens its mouth and fire starts to billow from it, before it crashes down onto the two-headed creature, jaws of flame clamped around one head's neck. The dragon, grabbed onto its opponent's back, starts clawing, and using its vicious tail thagomizer to slash and stab along it's opponent where possible. The two-headed dragonlike creature flails back, trying to buck off the opponent and retaliate. The head being bitten flails wildly, the second head trying to bite at the dragon's left wing. After several seconds of this struggle, the dragon suddenly raises its wings. Suddenly, there's a tremendous gust of wind as the dragon flaps its wings once. Then there's a sudden, billowing explosion of flame from the dragon's mouth as it kicks off of its opponent, reeling the entire creature over as the dragon flies in the air. It gives a loud roar, almost having a sort of mystic undertone to it. The two-headed dragon quickly gets up, heavily burned and wounded, before fleeing hastily. The winged dragon hovers in the air as it watches the opponent flee, before quickly landing back onto the ground with a heavy thud. It growls once, then...turns and immediately looks up at us. How the hell did it know we were up here?! We were quiet the whole damned time! It slowly walks to the base of the tree, then rears up onto its back legs and rests its front legs on the tree's trunk, looking at us. It stares at us a few moments, before pushing off the tree gently and returning onto all fours. It then turns right, and heads deeper into the woods, trotting at a decent pace. We remain in the tree for several minutes, silent...before I finally speak.

"...fantasy ark...It's a damned bloody fantasy ark..."

Mei slowly raises her eyebrow at me. "...I sense somewhat of a flaw in your thesis, Helena."

"Huh? Wh...what do you mean?" I ask

she smirks somewhat for a moment, readying herself to drop from the tree. "Why would somebody create fictional creatures purely for entertainment, hmm?"

"...why not." I say, starting to climb down.

" 'why not'?" Mei says dropping. "is that even a valid reason?"

"...people are all kinds of fucked up. In stories, people hybridized creatures all the time for various reasons. They make monsters, they murder people, they rape, they conquer...all for some reason or another, even one as dumb as 'why not'. Even in history- both that which you knew and what I know that happened between our times- people did shit because 'why not'. This damned place I swear has to be full of such similar creatures. Can't think of any other reason than why not, or to simply see if...I mean, why the hell do I question anything? I saw fucking phoenixes in that desert ark." I say climbing down

"Phoenixes?"

"Birds that can't land, always flying, covered head to toe in fire. They don't even require sustenance, they simply exist by feeding on fire somehow. As such they've got like...this incredible ability and affinity for fire, can set a ton of stuff on fire, and if they die, they simply turn to ash until it's hot enough again for them to re-incarnate themselves."

"...a fire elemental?"

"...i guess as close as you could come to one. I mean, I've deduced the damn thing converts itself into an ash-like substance as a sort of suspended animation, until the heat causes a sort of...reaction that produces the energy it needs to reform itself...I think..."

Mei smirks  
"For once, your rambling is humorous."

"for once?" I ask, now on the ground

"Trying to rationalize the workings of magical creatures. Sometimes you just have to understand things cannot be comprehended, Helena."

"...I..."

"you...you what?"

"I don't know how to respond to that without coming across as disrespectful or insulting even if im not trying to be. You know?"

"Understood."

"thank god. I'm sorry im at such a loss. Yet how do you believe these things are real? And I don't mean the fact they're in front of us. I mean, how do you know they're actual species and not...genetically manufactured?"

"You said it yourself about our larger wyvern. They seem far too natural. I know a true species when I see one, Helena. These are real. And dare not think-"

"I don't think it's because you're from your time, I don't. You understand creatures in a different way than I do, but we both have a profound knowledge on them. I...It's just me being skeptical, which is a good thing in my time to be. We're dealing with...something...that has created titanic and fantastical creatures before. Why should we believe these to be real?"

"Would there be any way to convince you?"

"...only way I can think was if I could cut one open with and examine it properly with the correct tools. And I don't have the proper space, nor tools for that."

"I suppose that is fair enough." she says, stretching. "Although...I foresee you loosing your skepticism."

"Yeah...well, one of us will be right in the end."

"I shudder to think if I would be wrong..."

"I'd think no less of you in any way, Mei."

"And I you. Shall we rest for the night?"

"yeah. I see a decent spot over there." I say pointing to an area right under a small outcropping in the cliff. "should that be alright?"

"indeed. Rest and reflect for now, Helena. Leave the fire to me."

"you sure?"

"yes, I've got this."

We walk over, and soon enough I plot myself directly against the cave wall, and sit myself on the floor. As Mei starts the fire, I take some time to craft together a single page- it's the one thing I remember knowing how to do. After crafting this makeshift paper, I take out my closest equivalent to a pencil and begin to sketch out the vulture-like wyvern from earlier...before I find myself also sketching the dragon and two-headed creature, even the chameleon-like lizard from earlier, all on one page. Well, various sketches of them. I try to cram as much information into this one tiny page I possibly can.

What in hell IS this ark? It's off for sure. These...fantastical creatures, what's the point behind them? Wyverns, Reapers...they were made to destroy humans, yes, but...could all this really be the result of somebody's boredom? Somebody's lack of entertainment? I can't help but ponder what Mei said. Are those wyverns...are they truly real? Both the ones and the desert, and here? The phoenix, is that a truly magical animal? The two-headed creature, the dragon, those...yes, they have to be. The curators of these stations have made crazier things. As ridic as it is, it's the more plausible explanation than just "magic made them" or "they were always like that". Somebody MADE these creatures, by the end of the day. Artificial or not, they still fascinate me. I keep cramming notes in a sort of organized mess on this one paper until Mei finally whistles for me again. I look her way "Yeah? What?"

"I've got the food finished, as well as the fire..." she says. I look, sure enough, she has both the fire set up, and cooked food resting within. I quickly look out into the sky...it's sunset?!

"...how long have I been...writing."

"quite a while...about i'd say an hour. You had quite the look on your face as you furiously wrote...I felt I'd best leave you to your sciences."

"Uh huh...i just get like that as a scientist, you know? Don't get me wrong, I'm still interested in them and PART of me is... 'excited' about them, if that makes any sense. They still fascinate me, regardless."

"Oh? Do tell." Mei says, biting into cooked meat. I grab a cooked piece of meat for myself then speak "Well, for instance that two-headed...whatever. Most creatures I know of can develop two or more heads through extreme genetic error and mutation, and often they don't work well at all together. But that thing...despite the bickering, it worked fine as it's own entity. Didn't seem to veer off or both heads trying to do two different things with the same body...it acted fine."

"It is a curiosity, for sure."

I look at my piece of meat. "Well...cooked giant chameleon it is. Down the hatch."

"It's not bad." Mei says as I bite into mine, then chew and swallow it. I cock my head a bit, then roll my eyes. "Yeah, it's...cooked meat. No real flavor to it, but it's good. Everybody's gotta eat something."

"I've consumed worse." Mei says

"Understandable. Though there's just some things I won't eat. Not a big organ person...though I'll scarf down cooked gizzards, personally."

"...I've never had those but now i'm actually intrigued. Chicken gizzards, correct?"

I shrug "I've had chicken and turkey. Actually... I wouldn't mind some pork rinds either. God, now I really miss home."

"Well, there are those who try to make the best of these places."

"Until the station or whatever knocks them back down to nothing."

"Poor Raia. Do you think there's a toleration?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you suppose there would be a spot where one could live comfortably long time, and not trigger a reaction from the station?"

"..." I think for a minute, then scrunch my face "... _possibly_? Maaaaaaybe? Like...You gotta start out somehow, and I don't think Raia had a big city at first, so...maybe? Like, perhaps the Mantis were a start? Perhaps?"

"...hold on. Do you think the desert was in a more green state before?"

"...definitely but it was still a desert. For sure I remember there being a canyon that was a dried riverbed. Probably the former river that provided for Raia's city. Her people's... 'extinction event' just made the ark more arid and harder for others."

Mei shakes her head and bites into another piece of meat. "I cannot comprehend these stations anymore in that regard. Whoever thought of this experiment...I shall make them taste my blade."

"...for some reason I don't think that's going to work, even if I'm with you on that shit."

"A very irritated Helena, a very amusing creature to watch."

"...am I really that ridiculous?"

"When in a panicked or furious state, your rampant profanity and...sometimes frantic or... 'frazzled' behavior is humorous. At times, even embarrassing."

"...why you gotta be so rude?"

"Mei smirks and shrugs "Is it rudeness? Or honesty?"

"...both. Ok, I'll admit it. I hit the panic button way too quickly. But I've gotten better. It's just sometimes I get so freaking...mind shattered panic that I just want to-"

 __ _ **"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"**_ ****

A blood-curdling screech pierces the air, similar to a woman screaming bloody murder. It pains my ears with a rampant ringing sensation and I drop my meat and cover them. Mei does similarly as the scream rings out, causing more ringing into my ears. The scream only lasts about 3 seconds, but the ringing stays for about another 5. I slowly stand up and lightly raise my hands off of my ears

"what...the living..."

Mei shakes once, as if trying to physically shake off the ringing remaining in her ears, then drops her arms

"Is someone in trouble?" she says, looking out, grabbing a spear and scanning the dark

"Knowing fucking...everything on these stations, do you think they're still alive? Screaming normally isn't an indication of somebody alive ya know!" I say, flailing my arms out above me

That's when I spot it. Something swoops down towards my right hand. I don't know what the hell it is, but I can see an open mouth about to clamp down on my hand. I lurch my hand away, screaming "Jesus christ!" while I then bat whatever it was with the back of my hand, sending it flying off into the darkness away from the fire. I look at my hand "Freaking...ok, im not bit, but..fucking ow, whatever that thing was it was solid as a rock."

Mei takes a few steps and looks over at my hand

"It should just be pain from defending yourself. I don't see anything wrong...but what.."

we both look out into the darkness hearing movement. There's a black lump in the shadows on the floor. Is that the thing I hit? I take a stick off the fire and prepare it into a makeshift torch, then hold it out to see...

….rising slowly off the ground, facing towards me and Mei once more...

...a severed woman's head.

Razor sharp teeth, extended slit jaws, long black hair, pale white skin...and an esophagus and stomach dangling underneath, still attached. It stares at us, making a strange hiss while looking at us with soulless eyes. Before I can even fully process what the literally shit i'm looking at, it flies right at us once again. I hear another scream, but this time, it's from Mei. She shoves her spear right at the creature's open mouth and lifts it into the air, but it struggles back fine. I look at Mei's face and...for once, I see fear. Something very rare that i've seen on her face. Actually, strike that. That's not fear, but sheer terror. I've never seen Mei like this before, not even towards the atrocities of reapers and others, but her face is of sheer terror. Suddenly, the creature's bite snaps through the tip of her spear, and Mei goes into complete panic mode. She starts flailing wildly with her spear, beating the horrendous...THING with it over and over again. Just then I look to my left and there's ANOTHER one of them coming at us. I swing my torch over towards it and it dives out of the way to avoid it, swinging wide to try and line up another strike. I hear more hissing and look around, there's three more coming towards us. What the literal shit is this bullshit?! Who the fuck is playing games with me?! Dinosaurs, Cybernetic living machines, Dragons, Phoenixes, wyverns, giant fucking spiders, FUCKING ALIENS, now flying severed heads?! What the fuck is this shit?! I can't help but flail wildly, and for once, so is Mei. Why the hell does she think this is so terrifying? I mean, again, dinosaurs and aliens and shit! That didn't phase her one bit. Why THIS?! In my flailing, I happen to hit one of the heads with my torch, and it completely bursts into flames, screaming and writhing in the air before dropping to the ground and burning to ashes rapidly. Mei sees this and quickly shoves her spear in the fire, catching the splintered tip aflame, and then flails wildly trying to hit these things. They keep diving and weaving around us, trying to exhaust us and find ways to move in for attacks. I keep swinging and flailing while screaming every once and a while, I swear this probably ranks in the scariest shit i've been in on these stations. I just know that if its fucking heads that get me on these damn stations, i'm gonna loose my shit. Fuck it, I already am!

I don't know how long we've been fighting these things before I suddenly hear what wounds like a whistle. Next I know, something bright comes flying out of the darknes and slams into one of the floating heads. It's an arrow cloaked in flame! The head combusts and falls to the ground, before soon more arrows come flying from the darkness in rapid succession. Each one fired by a skilled marksman, as each one makes their shot, catching the demonic creatures aflame and then sending them down to the ground as ash. I quickly look out and see a light...it's another fire arrow resting, drawn in it's wooden bow. Light by it's light, I can see the bow's wielder. It is a young, attractive woman of around 18 or 20 years of age, brunette hair. She wears a light sort of garb similar to what I saw people wear out in the desert, except this one seems to have some padded metal plating around the chest or arms. Lacking any form of hat, I can see her face clearly. Seems to be...hazel or amber eyes? She's not alone. Next to her, just lit by her flame's light, is a terror bird, looks to be tamed. Is that her mount?...no, doesn't look like it. I see a body and legs under her. She's riding a horse it seems. I sigh in relief and smile, waving to her while slowly hunching over from exhaustion. She gives a friendly smile back, lowering her bow and waving back...but that's when her light shows it.

She's not riding a horse.

She IS the horse.


	2. Chapter 1

I slowly wake up, my eyes coming into contact with the rock overhang. I look around, eyes still blurry, noting i've slept on the floor with a head on a rock. Sore, I rub the back of my neck with a bit of a groan. I hear a chuckle, followed by a voice

"Good morning, Helena."

I look towards it, and the owner is Mei. I sigh and hang my head

"fucking...flying heads..." I say groaning "fucking fantasy station...fucking two-headed dragons...fucking vulture wyverns..." I continue mumbling to myself

"So Mei has told me. You two have had an eventful first day, haven't you?"

I turn towards the other person as my vision clears. Sure enough, I see a familiar shape...the woman from the night before. Sure enough, shoulder-length brunette hair and hazel eyes...and a horse's body for a lower half!

"FUCKING HORSE PEOPLE!" I say scooting back suddenly in shock, hitting my shoulder on a rock in the process. Her horse-body is covered with something similar to a skirt, except it covers the entire horse's body. Reminds me of what medieval knights would put on their own horses back in the day. Her horse body itself reminds me of a common thoroughbred, with brown skin. She must be at least 6-7 feet tall, granted her equine lower half. My eyes dart all over her, scanning every inch of her- when I come across her face. Her face has a startled, disturbed, distraught, and offended look, almost like she's about to cry. My eyes quickly dart to Mei, who's eyes are a bit widened at me. Suddenly I realize the gravity of what i've just said.

"Shit! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like...I swear, I'm not a bitch or racist, I swear I'm not a jerk like that. It's just...UGGHHH!" I Grab my head, face in my hands, and kick my legs "My fucking god why do I suck?! I'm so sorry!"

The centauride looks at me for a moment, then takes a slight breath and does an uneasy smile. "No...you're fine. It's alright."

"No, it isn't. I'm not a jerk I promise. It's just...freaking..."

"Let me guess, you've never seen a Centaur before nor any of the creatures you've encountered so far that have been new to you?"

"Well...After I assisted you last night, You collapsed shortly after seeing me. Mei on the other hand wasn't. I ran in to see what was wrong, and as Mei and I had deduced...you apparently fainted from shock. We had a short chat after we made sure you were...'comfortable' and she explained a few things, and I agreed to take shift for you two so you could sleep. You were out a while this morning still...Mei and I had a chance to talk again this morning, that's how I know your name, Helena. So I can assume you're not...aware of our home."

"...I'm sorry for freaking out, it's just...this has been a bit too overstimulating for me, I've been through a lot...already, before this place. I've seen a lot of things, but this place has hit me with too much too fast..." my tone is still uneasy and awkward. She chuckles a bit.

"It's fine. Though, I suggest you be prepared for more curveballs..."

"...yeah, no kidding...um...but what do you mean your home?"

"Does the word 'Pyria' ring a bell?"

"...no."

"...then yes, you're one of them."

"One of what?"

"We call them the Foreign Generation. Humans who don't know of the old home. Our old...non...whatever this is, home."

"...So you're aware this isn't-"

"an island? Yes. We had some insight before due to...reasons, and what Mei has explained and what very few Foreign Generation humans have said...it makes sense. Especially with what Mei has explained."

"You...explained to her about the stations?" I ask Mei, straightening and turning towards her. Mei smiles

"I...am not a scientist as you are. But...I had to recollect all my experiences, put myself in your shoes, and...well, almost, pretend to be you...It helped in the end explain everything to Layla."

I turn back towards the centaur. "Layla, huh? That's your name?"

"Yes, it is. Layla Allen."

"Ah well..." I get up onto my knees, look at her a moment, then raise a hand towards her, open

"If that's the case...can we try again? I'm so sorry."

Layla smiles

"It's no problem at all, Helena." she says, taking my hand and shaking it. "Truly, it is not, after what Mei has told me of you. You're a scientist?"

"Uh, yeah. Biologist to be specific. You know, I study animals and creatures. How they work, how they function, how they behave, their...everything."

"Ah, I see. Somewhat of a more...in-depth naturalist?

"In a sense I guess."

"No wonder you can't take my eyes off me. Especially if you've never seen a centaur before."

"...Yeah, no offense. Really sorry. It's just...can I say it?"

"...sure?"

"I just look at you and the biologist part of me just calls you a load of bullshit. A ton of nope. Again, no offense, I swear!"

"It's nothing." she says with a slight chuckle. "I can understand, you're not the first Foreign Generation human i've come across."

"Yeah, it's just...My mind is racing trying to figure out...how you even work..."

Layla gives an uneasy laugh. "I understand, don't worry. I've had similar conversations before. You're fine, Helena."

"...Well...thanks. It...freaking..."

"...Ok..."

"Ok?..."

"...I give up. You're not a genetic crossing. Like holy hell."

"...Oh, that's like what Mei was talking about. Well...my kind was not...manufactured."

"Ah...um...you mentioned...your previous home? What was it like?"

"You're asking the wrong person, Helena. I was born here. I don't know what Pyria was like."

"...you named this station after your old home?"

"after the land we came from, yes."

"well...i guess that's one thing."

"...you think I'm a fraud, don't you?"

"...No. It's a scientist's job to be skeptical. Like...My first look at you, experience tells me: 'She's a genetically modified creature, like the wyverns or basically everything else on this station. Just this is a weird twisted extreme'. But the more I look at you...the less likely...that...seems..."

Mei raises an eye. "and thus, Helena?..."

"...I don't know. But I know what's in front of me...a centaur. Something that really shouldn't exist but...is here anyway. I honestly don't mean to sound rude."

"I know, I know. Don't worry. Is there anything you're curious about? Perhaps I can answer it?"

"...do you mind me boring you, Mei?" I ask her. Mei smirks and shrugs "I'm interested in your own inquiries...i had my own, especially about the...Krasue?" she says, looking at Layla, who nods.

"Yes, they were called Krasue. Curious you knew them by a different name..."

"Indeed...anyways...Helena, as you may."

"ah, alright..." I say looking at Layla. "um, first off...human body actually, physically attaches to the human body, right?

"Yes ma'am. I lack proper humanoid hips, so it's just a longer central vertebrae column which connects to the bones in my lower half, a single skeleton. It's also why I can't lean back on my upper human body easy...or too far. I can lean forwards a bit fine, but again, this cord is a bit stiff and restricting."

"I see...the horse half seems strong at least."

"Indeed, I can keep up with most of the horses on this place...Equus, they are called? But yes, it comes with all the benefits of being a horse. So I can indeed kick with quite a bit of power behind it. It's literally as you would assume having a horse's body in place of legs. All of the benefits and drawbacks of it."

"Understandable...do you wear horseshoes?"

"i knew some who did. It's a personal preference. Then I knew those who actually wore a form of centaur shoe. Whatever floats people's boats, I guess."

"uh huh...um...What's the horse body like? Is it all muscle or what?"

"Most of it is. Most of my organs in my humanoid body are the same as in yours and work just fine..but there's some organs , like liver, bladder, and etc, are in the lower half for...obvious reasons."

"..ah huh. Explains your front." I say, looking at the nearly seamless, bare transition of her human body to horse lower, just before her "skirt" of sorts covers it up. She turns a bit red. "Yes...centaur children as you can guess can get quite large...heaven forbid we be forced to carry it in our human bodies."

"Yeah...your human half for the most part is fine...though a bit...big?" I say, tilting my head "then again, horse body..."

"I am a bit larger than a normal human, though i'm proportioned fine, just scaled up. The result is...well...obvious and self-explanatory."

"Yeah, you don't look too different."

"what?"

"...you're not a man so you're not as quick to notice but it's fine" she says with a chuckle. What does she...just then I understand what she means when I look at her chest. "oh. Oh. Ok. Jealous. Wow."

Layla chuckles. "It's the simple byproduct of being a 'scaled up' human. By chest is fairly normal for a woman of average size, but increase my scale and...voila."

No kidding. She's at least a D and at her size they're big as heck. "...Ok yeah, again, jealous."

"Don't be. You look fine yourself."

"...actually, that brings me to another question."

"hmm?"

"how are human relations between centaurs and humans?"

"cheery. Where we're from, our people are nomads by default, but we do settle down often. However humans and centaurs have worked together for eons. As Nearkin it's easy for us to bond with humans."

"Nearkin?"

"a class of humanoid...we're similar to humans physically but not exactly. So we look, well, NEAR to humans. Not exactly mamono, but hey."

"Mamono?"

"All-female races of humanoids."

"...how does that even work?"

"being sweet and productive, friendly members of society that are easily sociable or charming. Well...that or violent abduction and rape."

"you asked."

"fair enough. So there's males of your species too, since you're a nearkin."

"correct."

"ah..."

"also yes."

"yes what?"

"humans and centaurs can interbreed."

"...how. How and why."

Layla chuckles again "well...we're just like you, we just look a little different. We have feelings too. Sometimes our hearts settle on a human instead of a centaur. It takes a special kind of love and openness to fall in love with somebody of a different race, I believe. A truly special kind, to look past how that person looks and simply love them for who they are. Especially with...where things are located. And size differences. At least in the case of centaurs. For those who like being intimate, sometimes difference in size can mean harder to satisfy...from what i've heard."

"...uh huh."

she giggles again. "Yes, indeed...although..."

"although?"

"there WAS an offshoot of centaur males back in the day who believed centaur females shouldn't bother with human men. So they'd...forcefully have their way with centaur females who were in relationships with human men to break them mentally so they'd fall back in line."

"...that sounds like shit plots out of bad erotic stories."

"Maybe, but it's the truth. Our bodies are naturally designed to mate with each other, not humans. So it's harder for the physical satisfaction at times...but again, if you truly love somebody, then only that one person can truly make you happy and love you like nobody else. Though...sometimes instinct back in the day..."

"I get it. It's a common thing in nature for a female to reject an inferior mate for a more suited one, no offense."

"...made us feel more like animals than a race, honestly. That you could be happily involved with a human male and then, a group of ruffians just forcefully mounts you and despite you loving that man with all your heart...your body prefers those forcing themselves onto you, and despite you wanting to remain with the one you truly love...you just physically cant, your body just won't let you. There's been tales of a few centaur women who would do the same to centaur men who were in love with human women, but...well, that's all in the past."

"Well it's not a thing anymore from what i'm hearing. How was that abolished?"

"Forceful separation, in honesty." Layla says "kingdoms upon seeing these barbaric acts unified. Those breaking laws and forcing themselves onto others like animals were punished, and as many centaurs as they could were forced to live with different people. Females were confined to certain towns and cities, males in others. Since males and females were predominantly separated, they had to turn towards what was available to procreate...but to be honest? The centaur people as a whole understood, and in the end it just helped the bond between centaur and human cultures grow even more. It became a part of our physiology, over time, for our bodies to be used to, and easily accept, human or centaur as a partner. When the separation was lifted, well...it worked. Some centaurs still prefer their own kin and the same with humans, but with so many of each race being abundant, well, hearts, and genes, will cross. Things became to the point were those tried to act as they once did and well...it didn't work."

"To be honest, the fact so many people banded together to help a race intrigues me."

"chivalry and friendship are often common where we're from. There's a singular person responsible for that, and she was one of those who organized it...even if she wasn't at her true position of power yet by then. But yes, it's commonplace for races to assist each other in our old home. Such was our ways."

"To be honest I wish people back home were so unified in their actions and so willing to help others..."

"i've heard little of your world from others. Some of you seem to come from different time periods as others...and I agree...your world was quite cruel."

"Tell me about it. So you CAN crossbreed with humans...how easy is it?"

"...i think I know what you mean. Well...first off, there's the obvious barrier of us being half-horse. So there's that. Yet once that falls...it's easy in part. Centaur women often end up with human men easier for...obvious reasons."

"yeah, two of em." I say jesting. Layla snickers "true...i've never seen a centauride with a bust that could be considered 'small'..."

"Yeah now you're TRYING to make me jealous, and you are. Cut it out!" I say laughing, to which she chuckles. Mei simply smirks and shakes her head. Layla sighs

"At any rate, physical appearance helps for sure, but again...it's all about the heart. Centaur males have a bit more trouble finding human women at times, obviously...for obvious reasons. As for why?...well, while in human men looking at a centauride, bigger is better...but as for a human woman looking at a centaur...well, bigger is more intimidating."

I shudder "Ok, I get THAT. Wow."

"Indeed. Note I didn't take that as offense either towards my kin"

"I figured...but yeah."

"on that note, I'm _technically_ a half-centaur myself. My mother was a full-blooded Centaur and my father was a human man. Yet here I am, and I don't look strange for a crossbreed, either."

"Indeed...how are things with your parents?"

"...well, they're together, and that's what they'd want."

"...oh. Oh, i'm sorry."

"No, it's fine...nobody saw it coming. At least they're together."

"...what happened?"

"well, our usual warning systems weren't there that day and...well we think the guards in the town, the sentries were either drunk or didn't see the signs...but our small village was besieged upon by an ogre. Despite how big and slow, blatantly obvious those brutes are...it got right up to us without anybody knowing. We weren't prepared and were...well...he had a feast, that's for sure. I think Falx and I were the only ones who escaped."

"...and I felt we had it rough the past day. I'm sorry, Layla. I don't know about YOUR kind of ogre, but if I know anything about the stories i've heard...they're not too good."

"no, they aren't. It was horrible..."

"...You've been on your own since?"

"yeah. I've been traveling for about a week now with Falx...trying to get to a nearby village. Things kept getting in the way and making things longer, though...But we're getting there. You're welcome to travel with us, if that's ok."

"We _do_ need a place to go. If we'd be no burden, I wouldn't mind tagging along." I said. "Mei?"

"We had no true destination and were simply wandering aimlessly in the wild ourselves, at any rate. If you allow us to accompany you, we can pull our weight."

"You'd be no burden, trust me. We'd be happy to have you."

"...wait a second. Falx...is that the terror bird I vaguely remember from last night? Where is he?" I said looking around

"Oh, I sent him off this morning to forage a bit for food...knowing him he'll be back momentarily. I've had him since I was a child, we grew up together. He's more like a brother than a pet, if anything. My best friend regardless."

"Ah, that's good." I say.

"Yes, he's quite dear to me...is there anything else, Helena?"

"...that's about it, really." I say "I mean...yeah. In a nutshell, anyway. I have no further inquiries...yet. At least I think so."

"Well, I'll be happy to answer any questions you have in the future, Helena...oh, and if you're so jealous about my appearance...well, maybe you should look into the safer parts of the arts of Eromancy, hmm?" she says with a chuckle. I smile at first, but then what she says hits me. I tilt my head confused.

"...What did you say? Eromancy?"

"yes, I did."

"...so like...sexual and intimacy based magic?..."

"indeed."

"...uh...huh..."

Layla winks "Trust me, it's priceless when a Foreign Generation human finds out and experiences magic for the first time. Quite humorous, actually. You'll encounter it soon enough."

I look over at Mei.

"Part of me doesn't exactly agree with that..." I say low to her. Mei tilts her head and raises an eyebrow.

"Why not? If all these fantastic creatures are real, then surely magic, if it's spoken of by a denizen of the world these creatures come from, must also be real."

"...Mei, what have I said before? Everything happens for a reason, right? Everything can be explained, and can't be written off as 'just magic'. Like, people in your time and earlier used to grind and mix all kinds of strange things together to invoke bodily responses and they called it magic."

"Yet you've seen birds made of fire, floating severed heads, and a centaur?"

"...true. But I've been able to rationalize centaurs like Layla and the phoenix."

"and the Krasue?"

"...revisit the matter in about a week or so."

Mei chuckles. "Well," she says "I know for what I can't deny what's in front of me. I can see, Helena, the truth. The truth is that magic is real, if spoken by one who has experienced it before."

"...well, as we said. One of us is right in the end. And I don't mean to be an ass but I'm leaning strongly into the 'im right' theory here."

"And I prefer my own. We shall see, Helena. I for one am excited for this. I have heard of magic for so long, and to finally master it...or at least use it...I shall better myself with it."

Just then there's a strange noise, and sure enough, a terror bird with a saddle comes running up to us from around the corner. In it's mouth: of all things, a rabbit. Of all things I've seen on these stations, I've never seen, or expected to see, a freaking rabbit. One thing that catches me off guard though...this terror bird is both bigger and taller than the normal species I'm used to. Its wings are smaller, but it's neck is longer, the skull is also much longer and thinner too, ending in a dagger like beak. Layla smiles, having been laying down on her horse stomach, she smiles and holds the terror bird's head as it comes close, lowering it's head in a friendly manner. "Good boy, Falx!" she says, gently taking the dead rabbit from him "You must have worked hard, didn't you?"

The terror bird seems to chortle back affectionately a response, being gentle and loving to Layla. It doesn't even sound like a normal terror bird. "So...is..Falx a Kelenken?" I ask Layla. She turns to me confused

"I...beg your pardon?"

"uhh...crud. Assuming you don't know what that is, that's a likely no."

"...another type of terror bird you're used to?...if so, no. He's a Centaur Terror Bird."

"...uh huh."

"Well, several other races saw how humans were training their own species, and remembered how they got separate dog breeds and the like...so other races, one of them being centaurs, tried our hand. We wanted something in our usual habitats we could train to be our perfect companions. Able to keep up with us as well as protect us. We chose Terror Birds because they had more endurance than the other creatures and were fast enough to keep up. So we begun to breed the traits we liked...and in the end we got these guys. They're even omnivorous, as opposed to their carnivorous ancestors."

"Oh. Oh! Cool. I get it now. I'd assume the diet change was for ease on your kin?"

"yes, we're not often avid hunters of large game at times, so being able to eat what's on hand is crucial to us."

"Ah. Seems like i'm not the only poor hunter around here, eh Mei?" I ask

Layla smiles "Well...you're not 100% wrong. We don't often tackle large game...but we ARE skilled in combat and hunting. Centaurides like me are avid archers...though some of us take up the male's prospects of close-ranged combat. Sometimes there are those that prefer mastery over spears, like the men of our kind do. And vice versa, of course. But as a whole, each gender has a natural mastery and preference over one type of fighting and weapon. So I can hunt, it's just...well, i'm able to use whatever's available, you know?"

"makes sense for a race of nomads."

"indeed. At any rate? Shall we prepare this?" Layla says lifting it up

"Rabbit sounds good to me." I reply.

To think this ark would have an entirely new race of people on it. Everything in me wants to say by default that Layla can't be real. Her whole race has to be some sick joke of genetic manufacturing, right?...well, now that I've talked to her...no way. I just look at her. The way she talks, the way she smiles...she's truly real. I don't know where in hell her kind came from, but maybe those myths about centaur are real after all. At any rate, it thrills me she's here with me. Initial shock aside, I'm fascinated by her, as a biologist. She's not even ashamed about it or...any of that. She's ok with it, clear as day, understanding, and polite about my questions. Heck, I've stopped asking questions about her race and more about her now. Just trying to bond with a new acquaintance: and to be honest, I'm glad to have her as a new friend. Not just being able to encounter something like her for the first time, but also get to actually... well, talk and bond with her, is truly something. It's strange to say it out loud, but at any rate, I'm appreciative that she's even here, and that I can interact with her like this.

But as for Magic?

 _ **Magic?**_

I'm down for the possibility that mythical creatures are truly real creatures. It makes sense that so many mythologies have the same creatures show up if they truly exist...but, magic?

I can't be open minded to that.

No offense to Layla at all, but in all honesty, everything I know and have been taught tells me to deny that. Everything happens for a _reason_. Can't just be "because" or "magic made it do it". I mean, for god's sake, wouldn't magic deny some of the basic principles of science? There's only a finite pool of energy, you can't just MAKE it or force things to happen. Can't just CREATE matter. No rule breaking. There's set rules that we have PROVEN to work. You can't break those, no matter how hard you try. Granted there's probably all kinds of things you can do with the right technology- Diana and her people, even these stations- have shown me that.

But magic?

I can't. I won't.

I'll still be respectful of Layla, though. I'll keep my skepticism, call it stubborn skepticism if you will,  
but I know my laws of nature. I know my laws of science and reality. You can't just...DO things.

Well, time to enjoy a proper breakfast at least. Then it's on to the town Layla's trying to reach. I don't know what we're going to do when we get there, or what even our end goal is...I just know I don't want to spend too much time on this station, if, and when, it does decide to lash out...

But to be honest, I'll take one breakthrough over another. Two-headed dragons...dragons and wyverns themselves being real?! Centaurs too? What's next? Elves? Chimera? Cockatrice?

Nothing seems impossible anymore, and it both intimidates and excites me.

I guess we'll know more when we reach the town ahead. I'd like to have a proper roof over my head, thank you.


End file.
